Bishop confirms he has custody of priest accused of rape

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines—Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos confirmed Saturday that he has transferred a parish priest in his diocese who has been accused of raping a 17-year-old girl to the Bishop’s Palace in Butuan City but declined to comment at all on the case.

Word that the Rev. Raul Cabonce of the St. Anne Parish in Tubay, Agusan del Norte, had been transferred came first on Friday from the Caraga regional chapter of the women’s group Gabriela, which is assisting the girl in pursuing her charges against the priest.

“He is under my custody,” Pueblos said in a return call to the Inquirer. But he declined to discuss the case beyond confirming that the priest had been reassigned.

Lina Linaban, secretary general of Gabriela in Caraga, said in a statement on Friday her group was not satisfied with the removal of Cabonce from Tubay.

“It is not enough to transfer the erring priest to another parish where he can still violate other girls. He should be made accountable (for his acts) under the State’s laws as well as Church laws,” she said.

Linaban said the experience of the girl, identified only as Leah, showed “that exploitation and abuse occur even in places that seem safe.”

“We are saddened that the crime happened within the very institution that is supposed to uphold morality. The priest exploited Leah’s trust and violated her despite her young age,” Linaban said.

The alleged victim filed charges of rape, acts of lasciviousness and child abuse against Cabonce at the Agusan del Norte prosecutor’s office last Thursday.

She claimed that Cabonce abused her on five different occasions since September.

Cabonce repeatedly denied the allegations in radio interviews, dismissing them as “trumped–up” charges concocted by his unidentified detractors.

He would not elaborate, however, saying he would file his answer to the charges in due time.

Linaban said based on the account of the girl, Cabonce had initially molested her by touching her private parts.

“Subsequent molestations, the last one ending in rape, happened on March 3 and 14,” Linaban said.

She said the girl “was threatened with a curse and an end to her scholarship to prevent her from telling anyone about her sexual ordeal.”

Linaban said Cabonce also “made sure that his guns and bladed weapon were in plain sight of Leah while violating her inside his room.”

Atel Hijos, Gabriela spokesperson for the Caraga region, said that despite Cabonce’s denial, it was unlikely for the girl to make up stories that could soil her reputation.

“(She has) a strong case and sufficient evidence for Father Raul Cabonce’s conviction,” she said.

Hijos told the Inquirer their group took custody of Leah, who “is now undergoing counseling for the severe emotional and psychological trauma resulting from Father Cabonce’s abuses.”

“Leah was greatly affected by her traumatic experience. She could not imagine that this could happen to her considering that she trusted the priest as a man of God,” Linaban said.

She said Gabriela has urged Pueblos not to protect Cabonce and not cover up for the priest’s alleged misdeeds.

“Bishop Pueblos should be an instrument of justice and equality rather than engage in a cover up to protect Father Cabonce,” Hijos said.

“Like Leah, there may be other girls, who are not given the opportunity to finish their studies because of lack of resources. And often, like Leah, they are exploited because of their poverty,” she said.

With a report from Jeffrey Tupas, Inquirer Mindanao

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Girl, 17, accuses Philippine priest of rape

asiaone.com

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network

Saturday, Aug 27, 2011

 

 

 

By Kristine L. Alave

Philippines – A 17-year-old girl from Agusan del Norte filed on Wednesday three cases—acts of lasciviousness, child abuse, and rape, against a Catholic priest in Tubay town with the provincial court.

Leah (not her real name) accused Tubay parish priest Fr. Raul Cabonce of sexually assaulting and raping her several times while she was working under his care.

“I hope he will be imprisoned for his whole life,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview.

Leah’s ordeal began on June 2010 when she got a message from the priest to see him at the convent.

Cabonce, she said, offered to pay for her tuition as a fourth year high school student if she worked at the convent.

Leah, who was 9th in a brood of 12, readily accepted the offer.

“My parents were too poor,” she said. “I wanted to be a doctor.”

On Sept. 16, 2010, the priest made advances to her while she was cooking. Cabonce suddenly put his hand on her breast. Shocked, Leah said she backed away from Cabonce, who made light of his actions, even teasing her for being “too serious.”

A few months later, Leah’s situation at the convent worsened. One evening, Leah said she was summoned by Cabonce to his room. “There were guns in his bedroom. I saw three, two long firearms and one short,” she recalled.

The priest asked for a massage, she said. A few minutes later, the priest started groping her. When she protested and tried to leave, Cabonce forced her to bed and molested her despite her protestations.

Leah said the abuse was repeated several times the next month. She tried to avoid Cabonce while at the convent.

“He would pretend to be holy and say Mass, but he was only wearing a mask. He is not a true servant of God. He only became a priest to gain money,” she said.

According to her affidavit, the priest forced her twice to give him oral sex. Cabonce, she said, was so violent that he made her gums bleed.

Leah recounted that every time she was in the bedroom, the priest made it a point to show her his firearms.

‘I will kill your family’

Once, he threatened her not to speak about the abuse. “He said, don’t tell this to anyone or I’ll kill your family,” she said. Cabonce also threatened her once with a knife.

Leah said she endured the sexual assaults because she wanted to finish her studies.

Last March, when the academic year ended, she finally left the convent and reported the abuse to her mother.

The militant women’s group Gabriela has put Leah under its care while she underwent medical and psychological exams in Manila.

Gabriela said there may be more victims like Leah, whose trust and poverty are being exploited.

Medico-legal findings from the Philippine General Hospital and from a team of health experts in Mindanao showed there was a possibility of sexual abuse.

Three psychological reports also revealed that the victim was harboring suicidal thoughts and was suffering from post-traumatic disorder.

In June this year, Leah tried to kill herself by slashing her wrists.

Anticipating that the priest had left the parish, Leah urged the Catholic hierarchy to investigate her case. “I hope that they are not hiding him,” she said.

Cabonce is under the jurisdiction Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos.

Lana Libanan, Gabriela secretary-general, urged the Catholic Church to surrender Cabonce to authorities.

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BUTUAN CITY, Philippines—The parish priest of Tubay, Agusan del Norte, who has been accused of rape and other sexual abuses by a 17-year-old has been relieved of duties, officials of a women’s group aiding the alleged victim said.

Atel Hijos, Gabriela spokesperson for the Caraga region, said they learned that the Reverend Raul Cabonce of the St. Anne Parish has been re-assigned to the Bishop’s Palace here by Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos and was under the prelate’s custody.

Lina Linaban, secretary general of Gabriela in Caraga, said removing Cabonce from Tubay was not enough.

“It is not enough to transfer the erring priest to another parish where he can still violate other girls. He should be made accountable (for his acts) under the State’s laws as well as Church laws,” she said.

As in various times in the past, Pueblos did not answer calls nor respond to text message from the Inquirer.

Linaban said the experience of the girl, identified only as Leah, showed “that exploitation and abuse occur even in places that seem safe.”

“We are saddened that the crime happened within the very institution that is supposed to uphold morality. The priest exploited Leah’s trust and violated her despite her young age,” Linaban said in a statement issued Friday.

The alleged victim filed charges of rape, acts of lasciviousness and child abuse against Cabonce at the Agusan del Norte prosecutor’s office last Thursday.

She claimed that Cabonce abused her on five different occasions since September.

Cabonce repeatedly denied the allegations in radio interviews, dismissing them as “trumped–up” charges concocted by his unidentified detractors.

He would not elaborate, however, saying he would file his answer to the charges in due time.

Linaban said based on the account of the girl, Cabonce had initially molested her by touching her private parts.

“Subsequent molestations, the last one ending in rape, happened on March 3 and 14,” Linaban said.

She said the girl “was threatened with a curse and an end to her scholarship to prevent her from telling anyone about her sexual ordeal.”

Linaban said Cabonce also “made sure that his guns and bladed weapon were in plain sight of Leah while violating her inside his room.”

Despite Cabonce’s denial, Hijos said it was unlikely for the girl to make up stories that could soil her reputation.

“(She has) a strong case and sufficient evidence for Father Raul Cabonce’s conviction,” she said.

Hijos told the Inquirer their group took custody of Leah, who “is now undergoing counseling for the severe emotional and psychological trauma resulting from Father Cabonce’s abuses.”

“Leah was greatly affected by her traumatic experience. She could not imagine that this could happen to her considering that she trusted the priest as a man of God,” Linaban said.

She said Gabriela has urged Pueblos not to protect Cabonce and not cover up for the priest’s alleged misdeeds.

“Bishop Pueblos should be an instrument of justice and equality rather than engage in a cover up to protect Father Cabonce,” Hijos said.

“Like Leah, there may be other girls, who are not given the opportunity to finish their studies because of lack of resources. And often, like Leah, they are exploited because of their poverty,” she said.

With a report from Jeffrey Tupas, Inquirer Mindanao